NEW YORK — For the first time since arguably the most curious pairing in recent boxing history was announced, Mike Tyson and Jake Paul met face to face.
Inside the iconic Apollo Theater, where singular artists like Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, James Brown and Lauryn Hill once performed, Tyson and Paul held a press conference — alongside undercard fighters Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano — to hype their July 20 boxing match that will stream on Netflix at no additional cost to subscribers.
The atmosphere was festive and relaxed. There was no bad blood. The fighters in both matches expressed abundant respect and admiration for their opponents. During the face-off photo op at the end, as Tyson and Paul held their stares inches apart from each other, Tyson even playfully shadow boxed Paul with quick hooks to his opponent’s body. Both then broke out in laughter and lightly shoved each other.
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Certainly, there was the usual bravado that characterizes these events.
“Yeah, look, they call him ‘Iron Mike’ Tyson,” Paul said at one point, “but I’m titanium Jake Paul.”
And this: “I’m going to show Mike who has more power.”
Yet, the press conference struggled at times to stake its promotion of the event as an exhibition, or the officially sanctioned fight that it has become.
An hour before it kicked off, the line for fans to file into the Apollo snaked around 125th Street and 8th Avenue. They wore New York Knicks hats and Tyson T-shirts with screen prints of his face splashed across the chest. The crowd, undoubtedly, was more sympathetic toward Tyson, who hails from the Brownsville neighborhood in east Brooklyn.
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But there was also a contingent of younger audience members who professed their loyalty to Paul, whose platform on YouTube and social media has made him an icon for a generation with an unconventional, if uneven, exposure to boxing.
During an audience question-and-answer portion, a 16 year old from Queens who introduced himself as Xavier said he was an aspiring boxer who grew up watching Paul and his brother, Logan, and thanked them both for “making” his childhood.
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The boy went on to reveal that he was pulling for Paul — “please don’t kill me, Mike” — and asked Paul what advice he would give young people with limited financial means who are interested in boxing. By the end of the exchange, Paul motioned for someone from his support team to take the boy’s information down because he promised to send him “a bunch of gear and stuff.”
